Things to do in El Médano: beaches, Montaña Roja and village life

Yes, if you'd rather stay in a real town with natural beaches than in a hotel complex, and if a bit of wind doesn't bother you.

El Médano is part of the municipality of Granadilla de Abona and sits about 8-10 km from Tenerife South airport, 10-15 minutes by car. It has more than 9,000 residents and a very international feel: in 2013, 41% of them had been born outside Spain, mostly in Italy, Germany, the UK and Uruguay.

Everything here is done on foot. The main square opens onto the beach and hosts the town's fiestas; from there the pedestrian streets and the seafront promenade run past bars, restaurants and surf shops. A bit of trivia: according to the town council, Magellan and Elcano's ships anchored off this coast in 1519.

There are four, each with its own personality: the big town beach, a small calm one, the windsurfers' beach and a wild one on the far side of the volcano. A fifth, La Jaquita, gets its own section below.

On the main beach, the stretch nearest the town has gentler waves and is reserved for swimming. The sea is buoyed into zones, and the kite area is at the far end, towards Montaña Roja.

• El Médano beach (Leocadio Machado): 750 m of fine grey sand with a promenade, showers, toilets and step-free access.
• Playa Chica: around 100 m of black sand and calm water right in town, next to the fishing boats.
• El Cabezo: the windsurf spot, with waves and a sand-and-rock bottom. Better for watching than for swimming with children.
• La Tejita: 1 km of black sand on the other side of Montaña Roja, inside the protected area and with no buildings. You park by the road to Los Abrigos and walk for about five minutes. Nudists are welcome.

Montaña Roja is 171 metres high, and you climb it on foot along a waymarked 1.2 km path with 144 m of ascent. You don't need a permit or a ticket to go on your own, and neither the town council nor the reserve's management plan publishes opening hours. What it does have is rules.

The volcano is the heart of the Montaña Roja Special Nature Reserve: 166 hectares of sand habitats, a lagoon called La Mareta and protected birds such as the Kentish plover. From town you walk in along the El Médano – Montaña Roja trail (4.9 km), which follows Leocadio Machado beach and passes the little Bocinegro cone; the summit path branches off it. If you come by car, the reserve has two car parks, El Tapado and Llano de Roja.

The climb is short but steady. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon, with water, a hat and closed shoes.

If you landed here searching for 'Mirador Montaña Roja': the natural viewpoint is the summit itself. It's also the name of our penthouse in town, after the view of the mountain from its terrace. These are the main rules in the reserve's management plan:

• Stay on the paths: walking off them is not allowed.
• Dogs are welcome, but always on a lead and on the paths.
• No bikes on the paths up Montaña Roja or Bocinegro, or anywhere off the official trails.
• No drones or model aircraft, fires, fireworks or camping outside the designated areas.
• No feeding the wildlife, no climbing and no swimming in La Mareta.
• Organised activities (guided groups, companies) need prior authorisation.

La Jaquita is at the northern end of El Médano, just past El Cabezo beach. From the main square it's a little over 1 km on foot along the coast, about 15-20 minutes; by car, head for Avenida Juan Carlos I, which runs right next to the beach.

That stretch of coast is the first part of the council's El Médano – Montaña Pelada trail, which mixes dirt paths and town promenade. Along the way you'll pass Second World War machine-gun posts, sails and kites out on the water and, with luck, plovers, egrets and sandpipers at the water's edge.

The beach is about 150 m long and 30 m wide: golden sand on one side, rocks on the other, tucked into a small sheltered bay. The water is calm, and there are showers, bins and access for people with reduced mobility.

Don't get confused: La Jaquita is also the name of our monthly rental, a flat in a residential complex with a pool in El Médano.

A volcano with a huge crater just north of town, formed by an underwater eruption. It's a protected Natural Monument, and you can walk up it from El Médano.

The council's El Médano – Montaña Pelada route is 13.1 km with 140 m of ascent, returning the same way. It follows the coast past El Cabezo and La Jaquita to La Pelada beach at the foot of the mountain, then heads inland beside a ravine, skirts the volcano on its west side, passes the solar park and climbs to the crater rim among sweet spurge bushes. Go in the morning and stop for a swim on the way back.

Yes. The Tenerife tourist board counts around 300 windy days a year, strongest in summer, and there are schools and equipment hire in town. If you've never been out on the water, always learn with a school: the El Médano spot is not suitable for unsupervised beginners.

If you'd rather watch, El Cabezo hosts a round of the Windsurfing World Championship every summer; in 2026, the Wind&Waves Festival ran from 31 July to 9 August. You'll find all the details in our guide to kitesurfing and windsurfing in El Médano.

El Médano is a handy base: the airport is next door, the motorway is close and buses run across the south.

• La Gomera: TITSA bus 470 takes you to Los Cristianos, where the ferry leaves for San Sebastián de La Gomera (about 50 minutes).
• Mount Teide: the National Park makes a full day out by car; see our guide to climbing Teide.
• Los Abrigos: a small fishing village with a harbour, past La Tejita on the same road.

It depends on how long you're staying: for a holiday, the Mirador Montaña Roja penthouse; for a stay of several months, Surfing View or La Jaquita.

Mirador Montaña Roja is in the pedestrian centre, a minute's walk from the beach, with a terrace looking over the bay and the mountain it's named after. It has two bedrooms (a double and a smaller room with a trundle bed for children), a living room, kitchen and one bathroom, and sleeps 4. It's on the fourth floor with no lift, so bear that in mind if you travel with lots of luggage. Registration VV-38-4-0102529.

Surfing View, on the seafront by Playa Chica, and La Jaquita, in a residential complex with a pool, are rented by the month. A written temporary rental agreement is signed before each stay, and the price is quoted on request.

Book direct with us and you pay no platform fees and no security deposit.